26 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I07 



mittees on the Anthropology of Africa and Oceania formed the 

 backbone of the roster since they had been built up on strictly area 

 lines. Although the Board kept all these lists and had many of the 

 original questionnaires, only the most promising names were included 

 in the active card file. In some instances a new questionnaire form 

 was sent to the individuals in order to fill out gaps in the information. 



The Area Roster was built up for service rather than for complete 

 coverage of the Avorld. Consequently, names were sought for those 

 areas of greatest immediate or anticipated importance. The first ones 

 were the Mediterranean, Africa, and the Pacific Islands. The Board 

 appealed to professional societies and institutions, such as the Ameri- 

 can Political Science Association, the Rockefeller Foundation, and 

 the Library of Congress, whose members might have special knowl- 

 edge of these regions. Others, like members of the American Asso- 

 ciation of Petroleum Geologists, and the American Malacologists 

 Union, could be expected to have special knowledge of terrain and 

 beaches. The offices of both Army and Navy Intelligence gave their 

 assistance. Government agencies with foreign service divisions were 

 not overlooked. The Department of Agriculture and the Board of 

 Economic Warfare agreed to send the roster questionnaire to their 

 experienced employees. The Archaeological Institute of America, the 

 International Labour Office, the Explorers Club, and the Interna- 

 tional Committee of the Y. M. C. A. furnished names of nonpro- 

 fessionals with area knowledge. Names of missionaries were obtained 

 from the American Friends Service Committee, the Baptist Foreign 

 Mission, the International Missionary Council, and others. The 

 National Roster of Scientific and Specialized Personnel supplied 

 basic lists of specialists with foreign travel or residence. 



The Board members and the Sponsors suggested new sources and 

 even persuaded some societies to send their lists to the roster. Such 

 lists were filed for future reference if not pertinent to the immediate 

 need. For example, the Board had access to the Intensive Language 

 Program's list of language teachers and trainees. Similarly, the 

 American Friends Service Committee deposited a complete set of 

 curricula vitae of specialists on Central Europe who were teaching 

 in the Language- Area programs at the universities. If the Board 

 wanted to include names from these lists in its master file, the society 

 itself was asked to send out the questionnaire, a technique which 

 usually gained a wide response. However, only selected individuals 

 with special knowledge of a strategic area or special linguistic ability 

 were entered in the card file. 



